Overview

I am a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the lab of Helen Fones (Eyles). I am a molecular biologist employing functional genomics to investigate host-pathogen interactions in the field of food security. The Fones group is interested in a multitude of plant pathogens. Our main research organism is the filamentous fungus Zymoseptoria tritici which causes disease in wheat.

Current Project; “Epiphytic growth and nutrition for control of a wheat pathogen”.

Current Objectives; determine what nutrients Z. tritici uses, how it obtains them, and how it interacts with other microbes on the wheat surface.

Anticipated outcomes; This information will be used to develop new control strategies to help protect wheat harvests from this potentially devastating disease, while reducing reliance on fungicides.

Qualifications

2011 – 2015 PhD Biological Sciences, University of Exeter

2009 – 2010 MRes Marine Biology, Plymouth University

2001 – 2004 BSc Biology, Portsmouth University

Career

07/2021 – present Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Fones Group, University of Exeter.

10/2018 - 06/2021 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Ames Group, University of Exeter.

10/2015 - 09/2018 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Haynes/Deeks Groups, University of Exeter.

Research group links

• Microbial Evolutionary Ecology